Arsene Wenger believes club values are more important than winning and buying

Wenger has always touted Arsenal’s values as one of the best and most important things about the club and has stuck to that viewpoint despite the scrutiny he has come under.

With modern day football so obsessed with winning and who is doing what in the transfer market, Wenger took a moment to laud Arsenal’s values after the club championed inclusivity against Brighton.

“Personally I preach sometimes in the desert a little bit because for me when you listen most of the time to people it’s only about winning [or] it’s only about buying – but for me a football club is first about values,” Wenger said, as reported by 101 Great Goals.

“If I am 21 years at this club it is because this [inclusivity] is one of the values we rate and I’m very proud of that.”

Sunday was marked as a day for everyone, with Gay Gooners honorary president Matt Lucas giving a speech at half-time.

Such values shouldn’t have to be weighted against the need to win or to buy new players, and should be something any club strives for regardless of anything else.

They’re also worth celebrating, and shouldn’t be dismissed just because the club isn’t winning.

Wenger is one of the few manager to discuss such issues in the public domain, often to his own detriment.

Critics tend to interpret such comments as Wenger not caring enough about winning or making excuses for his own failures.

Wenger marked 21 years at Arsenal with a 2-0 victory over Brighton on Sunday.